Would you enjoy having six pack abs?
Of course you would!
And if you said no, you’re a filthy liar and you cannot be trusted. Please leave this site.
While a six pack does most certainly NOT indicate quality health, strength, or longevity, it does feel pretty cool to witness those six little bumps peek their heads up through your layer of belly cushion.
And the quickest way to get your rectus abdominis to strut it’s stuff is to clean up that diet.
Here are 3 quick nutrition and diet tips to consider to help speed along your quest for that coveted six pack.
1. Healthy Fats Pack A Wallop Worth Of Nutrients, But They’ve Got Calories To Match
Healthy fats are incredible for you. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have been proven to help lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), improve HDL cholesterol (the good kind), improve cardiovascular health, help improve body composition, fight against cancer, and so many other wondrous things for your body.
If you’re not including them in your diet, you’re missing out on a ton of health benefits.
However, just because it’s a healthy fat, doesn’t mean you can eat however much you want.
Fat contains 9 calories per gram which is more than double that of protein and carbs, which both contain 4 calories per gram respectively.
This means that fattier foods contain more calories in less volumes of food, which makes awareness of your portion sizes when eating healthy fats absolutely imperative.
Here are some examples of what a serving size of almonds look like. This equates to about 190-200 calories.
But if you increase this to just 1/2 cup, which is literally just a few more almonds, you’re hovering around 400 calories now. That’s a HUGE difference. Over the course of the week, that’s 1,400 extra calories you’ve consumed by eating a slightly larger than recommended serving size. Yiiiiiiikes.
So keep eating your avocados, nuts, whole eggs, and fatty fish, but be aware that you’re not falling into the trap of overeating healthy calories.
Remember, fat gain happens when you eat too many calories. Doesn’t matter if they’re healthy or not.
2. Use Plate Size To Control Portion Size
Pop quiz: which one of these two guys is bigger?
“Guy on the right, duh.”
TRICK QUESTION BUCKO.
They’re actually the same size. These two men are standing in a room designed to make it look like the guy on the right is a giant.
^ you right now.
Well you can start doing the same thing with your food by simply adjusting the size plate you use for meals.
Another pop quiz: which plate has the most food? (I really hope you answer this correctly)
It’s the same amount of food on all tree plates, but obviously it takes up more space on a smaller plate, so it looks like more.
Using smaller plates will do two things for you. First, it will trick you into thinking that you’re eating a lot of food, when in reality, you probably took the right amount, if not less.
Secondly, it will physically prevent you from taking too much food because it simply won’t fit on the plate. Take too much and you’re gonna run the risk of having it spill everywhere like you’re one of those people on informercials who can’t perform the simplest of human functions.
If only pouring juice weren’t so dang hard!
3. Water, Water, Water
Water is your best friend when it comes to fat loss.
Not only does it contain zero calories (which is enormously helpful for fat loss), but it also helps your body carry out hundreds of bodily functions that prevent you from…what was it?…oh yeah, not dying! And you know, functioning optimally as a human.
So first and foremost, make sure your sole source of hydration during fat loss efforts comes exclusively from water.
But as far as a ‘tip’ goes, next time you feel like snacking, drink a full glass of cold water before reaching for that snack and wait 5-10 minutes. Lots of people can’t differentiate hunger from thirst and will often try to eat their thirst away, resulting in unnecessary calorie consumption.
The same can be said for full meals. Drinking a full glass of water prior to a meal (or cheat meal) can often curb your appetite resulting in less food being eaten.
You can even do this for alcohol and alternate sipping water with your adult beverage of choice. You’ll consume a large quality of liquid but half the calories. And maybe even stave off a nasty hangover as well.
So take these tips for what their worth! Hopefully you learned something!